ORLANDO, FL, USA
N5528J
Piper PA-32-260
The pilot stated that while climbing after takeoff the engine lost power. He turned back to the departure airport. Witnesses observed the aircraft descending rapidly in a left turn and impact the runway with the left wing and nose area of the aircraft. The aircraft caught fire, slid down the runway inverted, and came to rest. The pilot and passenger exited the aircraft through the main door. Post crash examination of the engine showed 9 of 12 cam followers were broken due to overstress. No foreign objects were found in the engine and no other evidence of failure or malfunction in the engine were found. Weight and balance calculations showed the aircraft was about 396 pounds over the maximum allowable takeoff weight.
On February 2, 1999, about 2210 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-32-260, N5528J, registered to an individual, crashed while returning to land at Orlando International Airport, Orlando, Florida, while on a Title 14 CFR Part 91 business flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The aircraft was destroyed and the private-rated pilot and one passenger received serious injuries. The flight originated from Orlando, Florida, the same day, about 2200. The pilot stated he was carrying newspapers and that he is not paid for the flights. He picked up the newspapers, which he estimated weighed 750 pounds, at Orlando International Airport, and departed for Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After takeoff from Orlando International, he turned to a 090 degree heading. While climbing through 500 feet, he reduced engine power. After this, the engine did not sound right. He switched fuel tanks and checked the magnetos. He then noticed the rpm was dropping. He called the control tower and declared an emergency. He tried to make an emergency landing. The aircraft hit the ground hard and he hit his head on the instrument panel. He lost control of the aircraft and could hear the sound of scrapping metal. When the aircraft came to a stop, he opened his eyes and noticed the aircraft was upside down. He and the passenger noticed a fire had erupted and they exited through the main cabin door. He stated he weighed 130 pounds at the time of the accident and his passenger weighed 160 pounds. (See pilot statement) The passenger stated they had departed Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and flown to Orlando International. The flight to Orlando was fine. On departure from Orlando International, on the return leg to Fort Lauderdale, while climbing, the engine stuttered and made a loud bang. He was making the radio transmissions, and he told the departure controllers that they had lost the engine. The pilot then switched to the control tower frequency and informed the controller of their problem. They were cleared to land on any runway. The aircraft was falling and he could see the runway. Just before impact with the runway, he closed his eyes. The aircraft hit the runway hard and when it came to rest he and the pilot exited the aircraft. (See record of telephone conversation with passenger) A witness, who was located in another aircraft which was taxiing at Orlando International Airport, stated he observed the accident aircraft on a low, estimated 300-400 feet, downwind to base leg turn for runway 17. He estimated the aircraft was in a 30-40 degree left bank and the nose was pitched down about 10-15 degrees. As the aircraft passed abeam his position in its descending turn, the bank angle, pitch angle, and descent rate all smoothly increased. The aircraft was less than 100 feet in the air at this time. The aircraft impacted on runway 17 in the left descending turn. The nose and left wing impacted simultaneously. Upon impact a fireball blossomed and a crunching thud sound was heard. The aircraft appeared to roll over as it slid down the runway for about 100 meters. A trail of burning fuel connected the impact point with the final resting point of the aircraft. (See witness statement) Postcrash examination of the engine and propeller was performed by an FAA inspector and a representative of Lycoming Engines. The propeller had damage consistent with rotation at the time of ground impact. One blade tip was curled forward followed by aft bending of the blade at the mid span. The forward face of the blade had deep scoring. The opposite blade was missing the tip and the blade was bent aft. All external oil lines were attached. A crack was present on the top of the crankcase between Nos. 3 and 4 cylinders. The engine was rotated 360 degrees and continuity of the crankshaft, camshaft and accessory drives was established. Each cylinder produced compression and all pistons moved. Disassembly of the engine showed the engine contained metal debris and 9 of 12 cam followers were broken. The oil suction screen was free of debris. The crankshaft bearings showed no excessive damage, wear, or heat distress. No foreign objects were located within the engine assembly. (See Lycoming Engines Report) Examination of the broken cam followers and metal debris from the engine of N5528J was performed by the NTSB Materials Laboratory, Washington, D.C. The broken 9 cam followers had fracture features consistent with overstress separation. The debris consisted of material from the cam followers and engine case. (See NTSB Materials Laboratory Report) The last weight and balance data for the aircraft was dated 01/23/86. This data showed the aircraft had an empty weight of 1,817.85 pounds, and a useful load of 1,582.15 pounds. At the time of the accident, records indicated the aircraft carried 43 bundles of newspapers. FAA inspectors weighed similar bundles and determined a bundle weighs on the average about 32 pounds. This would indicate the newspapers carried on the aircraft at the time of the accident weighed 1,376 pounds. FAA records showed the pilot weighed 143 pounds and the passenger was reported to weigh 160 pounds. The pilot reported the aircraft contained 50 gallons of fuel at the time of the accident, which weighed about 300 pounds. Using these numbers, the aircraft was estimated to weigh about 3,796 pounds at the time of the accident. The maximum allowable takeoff weight for the aircraft is 3,400 pounds. (See FAA Inspector Statement, Load Sheet, and Aircraft Weight and Balance)
A loss of engine power due to an engine assembly overload for undetermined reasons. A related factor was the pilot exceeded the airplane's maximum allowable weight.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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